Arianna Occhipinti is one of Sicily's stars, and we have the new release of the revered Il Frappato, which has become an annual favorite among our clientele. The wines here are very impressive, rivaling other greats such as Frank Cornelissen with a similar approach that leans toward pure and natural winemaking. Her philosophy is hands-off, where she invokes the spirit of what the wines want to be rather than forcing her will upon them. She's one of Italy's most talented young winemakers, and her wines are, without fail, some of the best in Sicily. The Il Frappato has never been anything short of remarkable and is a take on the elegance of rusticity and the ultimate balance between refinement and peasantry, as Arianna puts it.
Powerful yet delicate from 40+-year-old Frappato di Vittoria vines, a varietal commonly used in Sicily and a distant relative of Sangiovese, tended to entirely organically. This wine expresses the soils (red sand, chalk, and limestone) and the climate at 1,000 feet elevation as true to form as anything we have ever tasted, and such expression is an integral part of the Occhipinti style. This is a highly praised wine, year after year, with 2022 being another remarkable vintage from Arianna that can be enjoyed right out of the gates.
Vinous (Eric Guido) 92+ points! "The 2022 Il Frappato is an understated beauty. Blackberries and currants swirl up from the glass, accentuated by hints of incense and rubbed sage. This splashes across the palate, soft-textured and pliant, with crisp red and black fruits that flow across a core of tactile minerals and savory spice. A bump of zesty acidity maintains amazing freshness even as a tart wild berry tinge pinches at the cheeks through the long and tension-filled finale. I’d rather enjoy the 2022 alongside a meal than on its own, but I have a feeling that was Arianna Occhipinti’s intention"
Wine Advocate (Monica Larner) 92 points! "Arianna Occhipinti's 2022 Il Frappato is punchy and bright in a manner only this spirited young winemaker can manage. Frappato is a grape that wants and needs to show its primary freshness, and it does just that in the deft hands of Arianna Occhipinti. The wine stays on the skins for 20 days and then goes into cement, followed by 14 months in both French and Austrian oak. Fruit for this wine comes from a 10-hectare site at 220 meters in elevation with sandy limestone."
Decanter 92 points! " Sourced from Frappato vines in Vittoria averaging 35 years old, this wine is vinified in cement tanks with indigenous yeasts, and is aged partly in cement and partly in 30hl Austrian oak barrels. It has a complex and spicy aroma of wild raspberries and red currants, while in the mouth there's a layer of sandy tannins and a wash of really fresh acidity. The fruit is poised, delicate and crunchy, with some fragrant oak and yeast spice. Light and juicy, it finishes quite dry and stimulates the appetite. Enjoy with cured meats or a salad."
2022 Arianna Occhipinti Il Frappato
2022 Arianna Occhipinti Il Frappato
Arianna Occhipinti is one of Sicily's stars, and we have the new release of the revered Il Frappato, which has become an annual favorite among our clientele. The wines here are very impressive, rivaling other greats such as Frank Cornelissen with a similar approach that leans toward pure and natural winemaking. Her philosophy is hands-off, where she invokes the spirit of what the wines want to be rather than forcing her will upon them. She's one of Italy's most talented young winemakers, and her wines are, without fail, some of the best in Sicily. The Il Frappato has never been anything short of remarkable and is a take on the elegance of rusticity and the ultimate balance between refinement and peasantry, as Arianna puts it.
Powerful yet delicate from 40+-year-old Frappato di Vittoria vines, a varietal commonly used in Sicily and a distant relative of Sangiovese, tended to entirely organically. This wine expresses the soils (red sand, chalk, and limestone) and the climate at 1,000 feet elevation as true to form as anything we have ever tasted, and such expression is an integral part of the Occhipinti style. This is a highly praised wine, year after year, with 2022 being another remarkable vintage from Arianna that can be enjoyed right out of the gates.
Vinous (Eric Guido) 92+ points! "The 2022 Il Frappato is an understated beauty. Blackberries and currants swirl up from the glass, accentuated by hints of incense and rubbed sage. This splashes across the palate, soft-textured and pliant, with crisp red and black fruits that flow across a core of tactile minerals and savory spice. A bump of zesty acidity maintains amazing freshness even as a tart wild berry tinge pinches at the cheeks through the long and tension-filled finale. I’d rather enjoy the 2022 alongside a meal than on its own, but I have a feeling that was Arianna Occhipinti’s intention"
Wine Advocate (Monica Larner) 92 points! "Arianna Occhipinti's 2022 Il Frappato is punchy and bright in a manner only this spirited young winemaker can manage. Frappato is a grape that wants and needs to show its primary freshness, and it does just that in the deft hands of Arianna Occhipinti. The wine stays on the skins for 20 days and then goes into cement, followed by 14 months in both French and Austrian oak. Fruit for this wine comes from a 10-hectare site at 220 meters in elevation with sandy limestone."
Decanter 92 points! " Sourced from Frappato vines in Vittoria averaging 35 years old, this wine is vinified in cement tanks with indigenous yeasts, and is aged partly in cement and partly in 30hl Austrian oak barrels. It has a complex and spicy aroma of wild raspberries and red currants, while in the mouth there's a layer of sandy tannins and a wash of really fresh acidity. The fruit is poised, delicate and crunchy, with some fragrant oak and yeast spice. Light and juicy, it finishes quite dry and stimulates the appetite. Enjoy with cured meats or a salad."
